Saints of St Luke
by Arietti
Summary: In a modern-day NYC, the Turtles function as a different breed of hero. R&R. Rated M for scenes that are in development: violence, lemons.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**A/N: **:D Just a work in progress I've decided to start posting! Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't pwn TMNT or NYC. For that, we should all be thankful. XD

~~~~~~~

**The Saints of St. Luke**

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

Raphael drew in a deep breath, allowing his exhale to come out in a slow, steady line of steam into the air before him. Leaning against the ledge that guarded him from falling several hundred feet into the Hudson below him, he took in the scene that surrounded him.

New York City. In broad daylight.

Ever since he and his brothers had been discovered during one of their bigger battles to save the sleepless city, the mayor had made significant strides to make their presence known among the people of New York- although these strides were constructed with the good intention of making their lives ones of relative normalcy, it hadn't been the easiest road.

Having started nearly six years ago, his brother Leonardo had fought the notion for nearly six months, after the first public appearance by the four went horribly wrong; the dinner at City Hall that was held in their honor was stormed by angry citizens, mostly anti-mutant activists who thought the brothers' presence was an abomination to nature, God, and humankind in general. Splinter was badly injured in the hustle to get them out, and Donatello had to be hospitalized after taking a bullet to the right shoulder. Thankfully no major injury was sustained, but the already shaky trust in mankind that the brothers held was significantly damaged, and they were all seriously considering going back into hiding in a different city when something happened.

While Donatello was in the hospital, things were different. Sure there was the occasional staff member who didn't want anything to do with them, but for the most part the doctors and nurses were more than accommodating, curious to know more about them and their lives before being discovered. They were…friendly.

It was then that the mayor came up with the bright idea that the turtles should be involved with the Healthcare Industry. At first it was just volunteering, but as the months went on the brothers found themselves drawn to certain areas of the hospital- Donatello had a natural knack for the Pharmacy department, training under the best pharmacist in New York for only a few years before earning his own degree; Michelangelo had taken the action route- becoming a flight nurse as fast as they would let him. The youngest of the four had mastered all of the ground excitement he could handle and was eager to learn how to fly. Since he'd earned his wings, the flight times from crash site to the hospital had been reduced significantly, and they let him work whenever he would for that reason alone.

Leonardo had taken the high road, as usual. Wanting to hang back and take his time getting to know people publicly, the Doctor that had overseen Donatello's treatment while in the hospital was quick to pull him into the practice of medicine, and before any of them knew it was happening Leo was taking his MCAT. He passed without much studying, and finished Medical School in a couple of years- moving on to his residency, which he was in his fourth year of at St. Luke's in the city. He was still the same Leo that they'd all grown up with- but somehow becoming a Doctor had made the eldest turtle _more_strict. He'd buried himself in his work, only coming home on the weekends and for holidays.

Raph snorted at the thought of his older brother. He'd gotten into a specific area himself- EMS. Becoming a paramedic had been _beyond_easy for him, and- in his opinion- he had to learn/know just as much as Leo did when it came to handling a disaster on the spot. He'd quickly risen to epic status among his peers, and most of the new hires were scared to work with him because of his hot-headed, quick-to-go-off temper that always seemed to show up around ignorant people.

"Think fast!"

His brooding was interrupted by the "thwack" of his jacket nailing him in the back of his head, and he grumbled as he turned and picked it up off the ground.

"I didn't ask for my jacket."  
>"I didn't say you did," The short, dark-haired woman grinned up at him, big brown eyes glittering at the annoyed look he gave her, "You never do- which is always why you get sick this time of year because you're too dumb to wear a jacket."<p>

Raphael tried to glare at her, quickly dropping off into a chuckle when she raised her eyebrows at him as if to say "Seriously? You're going to do this?"

Her name was Ella Lawson. She was a 24-year-old Medic who had graduated two years after he had- when she was 22. They'd started at the same time, but he'd flown through the program in a matter of months while she'd taken it slowly. She was the only one who never seemed that impressed with him- probably one of the reasons they got along so well. The first day of class she'd barely even given him a second glance, bounding in and sliding into the seat next to him as if they'd known each other for years. It had made him nuts at first, the way she disregarded every inch of his personal space- it made him think of his little brother. But over time he realized that Ella was the only one he actually enjoyed working with on the truck- so when she graduated he quickly vied for her to be his partner, and she had been- for the last two years.

"Let's go, shorty." He swung an arm around her neck and pulled her in as she walked past him, scraggling her hair and releasing her after he'd efficiently messed it up. She cursed as she stumbled to her feet and began to frantically fix it- and Raphael laughed. As often as the woman swore, it was still funny to hear it come out of such a small, innocent-looking person.

She muttered a few more blue-streaked sentences and re-tied her hair behind her, climbing into the passenger seat as he put the truck into drive and started their rounds of the city.


	2. Chapter 2: Trauma

**A/N****: **Hope you like it! And yes, I tend to make up street names, so don't rail on me for the nonexistent intersections in this fic, please! (hehe)  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Don't own any of it!****

**Chapter Two: Trauma**

"We have an MVA with confirmed head-trauma and possible hemorrhagic shock. Requesting Air-Evac immediately. Can you respond unit 2213?"

Michelangelo looked across the small resting quarters at his partner James, who was already on his feet.

"I got it," He answered, picking up the walkie, "This is team 2213 confirming pick up for MVA, what is your location?"

The youngest Hamato ran his hands over his face as he rolled up in the cot he'd been sleeping on. James was always so much better with directions than he was- and he still had some waking up to do…

"Twenty-seventh and Bright, Mikey," His carefully-crafted process was painfully interrupted by the human smacking the back of his shell, "Time to go."  
>"Awwww, five more minutes, mom?" He grinned as he rolled to his feet, zipping up his uniform and grabbing his helmet from the nightstand before following his partner out the door. Minutes later they were in their chopper, warming it up.<p>

"How long you think it'll take to get there?"  
>"With <em>me<em>flyin'? Gimme five minutes!"

James laughed. The two had always been good at taking it easy- even in pretty tight situations. Mikey had worked with him for the last year, and was pretty sure he'd found _the _partner. Most of the other flight medics he'd flown with had been babies when it came to how fast he moved, but not James, the old army-nurse was just what the ninja needed when it came to fast-paced, high-stress moving. They were able to goof-around and keep their cool even when they were both up to their elbows in blood.

"She's ready to go!" He yelled to Mikey over the whirring of the chopper, and the turtle nodded, sliding his seatbelt on and flipping a few switches before giving a thumbs up.  
>"Let's move!"<p>

…...

They were at the scene of the accident in _less_than five minutes, landing smoothly in the clearing the police had made in the street; James slid into the back to get the stretcher while Mikey jumped out and ran to see what the damage was.

Two girls, mid-twenties, both thrown from a convertible in a side-collision with a jeep at an intersection. One of the girls was awake, talking to the policeman who was crouched next to her- the other girl, however, was unresponsive.

"Don't move her neck," Mikey yelled at the cop who was trying to move her, "I've got it, sir."  
>"Michelangelo!" He crowed, smiling up at him, "Didn't think you'd get here that fast."<br>"Underestimating, as usual," James chimed in as he rolled up with the gurney. Mikey pulled the medic bag from the top of it and crouched next to the girl, setting to work on assessing her and stabilizing her neck before getting her onto the spine-board.

Nearby, a familiar voice hit his ears.

"Ma'am, if you'll just come with us, we're going to take you to the ER."

Mikey glanced up as James took over for a moment, and waved at his older brother.

"'Ey, Raph! Glad you could make it!"  
>The older Hamato looked back at him, smirking, "Almost as fast, <em>with <em>traffic."  
>"Always gotta ruin my fun, don't ya?" He shifted his attention when Ella came into view, "Stella' Ella, still lookin' fine, as usual!"<br>"Still lookin' married, too, Mikey."

James feigned offense for his friend, sucking in loudly as he smirked at his partner, "Shot down again!"  
>Mikey only laughed, "Eh, she'll come around," Then, to her, "Baby we both know you're just bein' so cold 'cause that brother of mine is rubbin' off on ya!"<p>

"Give it a rest, Mikey." Raphael chided as they helped the other victim onto their own stretcher and wheeled her away, Ella talking softly to her as she frantically asked questions about her unconscious friend.

Mikey watched her as they went, that familiar feeling of warmth creeping into him as he saw her doing what she did best- caring for people she barely knew.

"Man, what a woman, yeah?" He looked at James, who just rolled his eyes.  
>"Take it up with her husband when we get to the OR. We gotta move this patient, Mikey."<br>"Oh, right."

They counted to three, picking the woman up and loading her onto the stretcher with ease before moving back to the helicopter. The flight was short, and James had nearly stopped the external bleeding by the time they'd landed.

"Good job with the lacerations," Mikey commented as they wheeled her in to meet the team that waited.  
>"Yeah, well, she's still got a way to go- her pupils are fixed."<br>"Damnit."

They helped the emergency surgery team get her into the hospital and down to the OR, and before long- they were face to face with the Eldest Hamato.

"Dr. Hamato," James said with a reverence that made Mikey laugh.  
>"Hey Leo."<br>"Mikey, James," He regarded them both calmly, taking the in-flight notes James had made and handing them to the other surgeon that met them at the corner.  
>"Dr. Lawson," the medics nodded to the man they both knew mainly as "Ella's husband," and he smiled at them warmly.<br>"Mikey and James, our favorite flight medics!"  
>"We try," Mikey grinned as they reached the elevator, stopping to let the doctors and nurses take over care that they'd so skillfully started.<p>

As the doors closed between them, Mikey unzipped the top half of his suit and sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at the elevator doors.

"…You really think he's cooler than me?"  
>James laughed, knowing instantly what he was talking about, "Doesn't matter, bro. She's married to him. End of story." He clapped him on the shoulder, turning to walk back to the chopper for the clean-and-count process, "Let's go."<p>

Michelangelo laughed, rubbing a hand over his head as he followed his partner back outside.

...

"The surgery was a success. We evacuated the bleed in your daughter's skull without much difficulty."

Leonardo stood around the corner as Bryce Lawson explained to the patient's family how their operation had gone. Two hours of cutting, draining, stapling… All to just sit on the sidelines for fear of how the humans would react to a mutant performing surgery on their daughter.

"Will she be alright?" The mother asked, tearful.  
>"We'll know more about the extent of the damage when she wakes up, but thanks to the quick work of our staff, she suffered very little lack of oxygen to her brain."<p>

"I saw some of what they showed on the news, you know," The father started, voice stern, "Before we got here- I saw that chopper land and the mutant get out- the one the mayor granted a scholarship to go through the program to."  
>"Jerry!" The wife sounded appalled at the disgust in her husband's tone.<p>

Dr. Lawson's warm smile faded significantly, "You should be pleased to know that the paramedics that received your daughter at the scene are the reason she is alive. Not to mention the doctor that assisted me happens to be the older brother of the one who brought her to this hospital."  
>The man dared to look angry, "What! How could you let an abomination like that-"<br>"How could you let something as simple as an appearance make you so ignorant and careless as to how your daughter survives a head injury?" Dr. Lawson shook his head, "Mr. Brady, I have nothing further to say to you regarding this case. Your daughter is currently in recovery, the nurses will let you in when she is stable enough to be visited. Good day."

Without another word, the young doctor rounded the corner, nearly stumbling into Leonardo as he did so. The two looked at one another for a moment, the younger doctor sighing sadly.

"Leo-"  
>"No," He shook his head, straightening his jack as he waved his friend off, "Bryce, don't apologize for them. I'm used to it."<br>Bryce cleared his throat, and the two settled in to casually strolling down the hallway to the lounge.  
>"One day, you won't be used to it anymore, you know."<br>"Maybe not." Leo chuckled as they walked into the small locker room; thankful the shift was over, "But it seems it'll be a while 'til then."  
>"Got any plans tonight?"<br>"Meeting with my brothers, actually," He smiled slightly, "I'm kind of glad, it's been a while since we've all had dinner together."

Bryce closed his locker, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder as he nodded, "Give them my regards."

Leo only smiled in reply, pulling his phone out of his coat pocket and turning it on. Seconds after the screen lit up, a message from Mikey appeared.

"Valentino's at 10. Donnie's gnna be l8. CU then."

Snapping the phone shut, he rolled his eyes. Pizza again.


	3. Chapter 3: Off

**A/N: **Enjoy Chapter Three! Thank you everyone who is reviewing, I really appreciate it!  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>No ownage or money making to be had with this fic. :D  
><strong><br>Chapter Three: Off  
><strong>  
>"Oh god, Donatello!"<p>

The table rattled beneath them as he drove into harder, pushing her over the edge once, twice, a third time…before he finally came with her, riding out his pleasure as he rested his forehead on her shoulder and breathed heavily.

She hummed thoughtfully, leaning against the cold tile wall behind her as she traced patterns on his skull with her fingertips.

"Tell me again why we don't do this more often?"  
>He stood upright, letting out a short laugh "Because Shelly, I'm pretty much <em>always<em>busy, and when I'm not I can't ever get ahold of you."

Pulling apart, Shelly crossed one leg over the other and smiled at him wryly, watching him carefully as he fixed his clothes and checked his watch.

"Jetting off so soon?"  
>"Gotta." Reaching into his lab jacket, he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, sending off a quick text, "I promised Mikey I wouldn't miss the family dinner this time."<br>"Ah, your little brother." Her voice was dramatic, yet uninterested, "How nice."

The ninja-turned-pharmacist paused his adjusting to look at her, knowing her tone. "It _is_nice, okay? Don't ever talk like you know my family."

She rolled her eyes, hopping off the table to put her clothes back on, "Whatever." He grabbed his overcoat off the wall and opened the door, and she nearly tripped, "Hey! Where's my stuff?"

Donatello groaned, stopping his exit to turn and grab a bottle of Dilaudid off the counter and toss it to her. Catching it, the tiny blonde expertly popped the top off and tossed a couple back before grabbing her own jacket and following him through the door.

"Want one?"  
>"Can't, thanks." He pulled the door shut behind them, locking it with one of the several keys on his chain, "My older brother's got a nose for that stuff, he'd know I was on it the second I hit the door."<br>"Suit yourself. More for me."

As the odd pair made their way out of the inpatient pharmacy, Shelly rolled the pill bottle between her hands contemplatively.

"Your older brother's a doctor, right?"  
>"Yep."<br>"You know, my script for these is running out again in a couple of weeks, and my doc says he's cuttin me off. Maybe your brother could-"

"No," he turned to her suddenly, growing tired of the aloofness toward her obvious addiction, "Leo's still a resident, so everything he does has to go through someone else. He can't just...write prescriptions. And even if he could, he wouldn't."

She pouted. "Well why not?"

"You're an addict, Shelly. He's not stupid. If you want the pills to last you should take them like you're supposed to, not empty out a month's supply in two weeks."

The short woman's eyes narrowed as he tried to continue walking away from her. Grabbing his jacket, she jerked him to a halt.

"What the hell- you can't say that to me! I am _not_ an addict, these are for my back!"

"First off, yes you are. Second, I'm not at work, I can say what I want." he laughed, "And is your back really _that _bad? You seemed pretty comfortable with the way I had you bent over that table-"

He was cut short by Shelly's hand connecting to his face. The crack echoed through the stairwell, and the ninja only rubbed the assaulted cheek as he laughed coldly.

"Really? Is that it?"

"Oh cut it with your 'holier-than-thou' bullshit, Donnie." she spat, "We both know you're no better than me. _I'm_ the one who caught _you _snortin' Vicodin in the bathroom, remember? That's about as 'addict' as you can get."

That shut him up. Frowning down at her, she smirked playfully as she popped the top of her bottle again and pulled out one pill, extending it to him.

"But I mean, I'm sure it has everything to do with that shoulder of yours, right? Old scar tissue from that bullet you took? I hear that shit hurts like a bitch when it's cold out..."

The last part of her little spill came out with inflection as she raised an eyebrow, glancing from his fixed expression to the offer in her hand.

"You sure you don't want just one for the road..?"

Donatello looked at her, a sick mix of disgust and defeat washing through him as he snatched the pain pill from her and tossed it back, then turned for the door.

"Get out of my sight."

"I love you too, baby!" she called after him sadistically, "See you next week!"

...

Raphael took another sip of his beer quietly as Michelangelo filled their little table with one-sided conversation.

"I tried to tell James that anchovies are pretty much the grossest things in the world, but the dude never listens to me! 'Gotta try 'em for myself,' he says. Would you believe he didn't even finish the first slice?"

"Unbelievable." the older medic muttered, uninterested.

Mikey didn't seem to notice. "I know, right! I of course ended up taking one for the team and finished the pie off for him. After picking off all the little slugs first, that is." He gave an exaggerated shudder, "SO gross."

He paused to allow a response from his brother but Raphael only raised an eyebrow, foregoing any attempt to comment on the lame story. The younger turtle thought to whine at him, but was interrupted by the entrance of Leonardo.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late."  
>"Leo!" Mikey sprang up to hug him, while Raph only regarded his with a tip of his beer.<br>"Hey."

"You guys already order?"  
>"Two larges, one supreme with extra-extra-extra cheese, and the other Hawaiian with extra-extra-extra pineapple. "<p>

The two took their seats, Leo raising his eyebrows as he picked up the waiting glass of water. "Wow, Mikey, that sounds...extra."

"Donnie come in with ya?" Raphael moved the conversation to something a little more pertinent.  
>Leo looked confused. "No. Was he supposed to catch a ride with me?"<p>

"No," Mikey rolled his eyes, "Dude told me he was gonna be a little late. He's _always _'a little late.'"

"Probably working on that cancer research he's been so into lately." The oldest tried to reason, "He seems to think he's on to something."

"Yeah, I'm sure he is." Raphael muttered, earning a questioning look from Leo- but before he could pursue it, Mikey threw a hand in the air with a grin.

"Hey, there he is! Donnie, over here bro!"

The purple-masked turtle made his way across the room and pulled out the remaining chair. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late."  
>"It's alright dude," Mikey reassured him, "Pizza's not even here yet."<br>"Is the research going okay?" Leo passed him the pitcher of water.  
>He took it, filling his glass. "What? Oh, its fine."<p>

"D'you remember to pay her this time?" Raphael mumbled into his glass.  
>Leo and Mikey looked confused; Donnie just glared at him before turning back to the other two.<p>

"I'm almost finished with the first formula- they'll be able to make the initial batch of medicine in a couple of months."  
>"That's awesome, Don!" Mikey seemed to be the only one genuinely focused on the positive air of the four being together. The pharmacist, on the other hand, seemed uneasy between the two oldest Hamatos as they silently stared each other down across the table.<p>

"Yeah Don, that's great." Leo added distantly, still watching Raphael as he nonchalantly leaned back in his chair and turned his gaze to the floor.

Awkward silence threatened to claim them, but a waiter with two piping hot pizzas saved the day. The four set into eating before the pans were even fully on the table. Pizza always seemed to lighten the mood for the brothers, and soon enough they were back to easy conversation.

"Master splinter is going to start teaching April ninjitsu." Leo started casually.

"Like that chick needs to be any more bad-ass!" Mikey grinned.

Raphael laughed. "If she keeps it up, Casey's gonna haveta start making sure _she's_ not the one goin' off at night to kick ass."

They all chuckled. Donatello looked to Raph. "Hey, how'd your date with that resident girl go the other night?"  
>Instantly the red-masked brother's smile fell. "Eh."<br>Leo snorted, "It didn't. He stood her up...again."

"Ah, Raph!" Mikey swatted his arm, "What the hell's wrong with you, dude? Dr. Carmichael is a total babe!"

He only grumbled, Leo took another bite of his pizza.  
>"I talked to her today; she said she's willing to give you one more chance."<br>"Whatever."  
>"You really should give it a shot, Raph. I'm running out of excuses for the girls you keep ditching."<br>"So stop making excuses then," he seemed thoroughly pissed now, finishing the pizza on his plate off in a few bites and washing it down with the last of his beer, "To be honest, Leo I'm not really jonesin' to sit through another one of your big-brained ladyfriend's lectures on why paramedics are useless in New York."

Leo stared at him blankly. Mikey winced.

"Ouch, dude. Did she really say that?" He glanced to Leo, "'Cause that's kind of a dealbreaker, seein' how we're so much cooler than pretty much all of you."

Leo smiled slightly, rolling his eyes as he went back to eating. Raph, however, was done.

"I'm taking off," he tossed his napkin on the table, standing, "I got stuff I needta take care of before my shift tomorrow."

Michelangelo was the only one who looked surprised. "Aw, dude! But we were just getting started!"  
>"Yeah, sorry." was his only attempt to make the situation right, "Be seeing ya."<br>"Don't forget- same place, same time next week!"

He waved over his shoulder, then disappeared out the door.

Leonardo shook his head. "We really need to get him a girlfriend."  
>"How do you figure that?" Donatello chuckled, "None of <em>us<em> have girlfriends."  
>"None of <em>us<em> have anger issues." Leo replied, looking at him. After a few seconds he tilted his head, "...are you on something right now?"

Donnie stiffened in his chair, clearing his throat, "Just...some low-dose Flexeril, you know, for my shoulder." He took a bite of his pizza, "This cold weather really makes me sore."

The Eldest hummed, while Mikey chuckled. They went back to eating for a few more minutes, until Leo's phone buzzed. The two younger brothers watched quietly as he took the call, all-too-familiar with the tone in his voice and the look on his face.

"Now? What floor? Who's the primary attending? ...Yeah. No, I know- that's pediatrics. Why are you calling _me_? …What? Oh for god's sake, fine. I'll be there in ten."

He hung up; a pang of guilt hitting him when he saw Mikey's hurt expression.

"Guys-"  
>"Go." Don shrugged him off, "It's got something to do with a kid, they probably really need you."<p>

He nodded, standing. Mikey muttered a sad 'bye,' while Donnie reached over for the pitcher of beer on the other side of the table. Leo intercepted him, pushing it toward the youngest.

"No way Don, not while you're on muscle relaxers. You should know better." He clapped him on the shoulder, waving to their table as he left. Once he was gone Mikey sat back with a sigh, grabbing the half-full pitcher and sticking his straw in it.

"More for me."

Donatello rolled his eyes and went back to eating his food.

...

"So what's the problem?"  
>"Dr. Lawson is currently in surgery with another patient."<br>"I figured that, but where is Dr. Gulrich? He's supposed to be on call for pediatrics tonight."

The nurse that led Leo down the winding, unfamiliar halls of the children's tower looked at him uneasily.

"Dr. Gulrich is...indisposed at the moment."  
>"Meaning he's drunk. Again."<p>

She swallowed hard, Leo groaned.

"Why the hell hasn't he been fired yet?"  
>"He's the best pediatric surgeon in new york-"<p>

"Obviously not, he can't seem to stay out of the goddamn bottle-" he cut himself short as they stopped at the doors to the PICU, "-I'm sorry. I know this isn't your fault. You were right to call me in this situation, so thank you."

"Don't thank me," she replied, swiping her badge to let them in, "Willow was the one that told him to take a walk. He kept trying to go into the room to prep the girl for surgery."

Leo didn't respond. He didn't know who 'Willow' was anyway. He followed the nurse back to the main station, where she pointed him toward the room.

"Willow's got the chart in there with her. The parents are in the waiting room for now. We told them you'd come talk to them as soon as you got here and assessed the patient."

He nodded, walking around the corner and into the room. The first thing he noticed was the patient- a girl, she couldn't have been older than 10, sat in the bed. Her face was horribly pale, and yet she still wore a faint smile as she leaned against the woman that sat in the bed with her. …Which was the second thing he noticed.

The nurse, a dark-haired, dark-skinned young woman was very calmly reading a children's book to her that was designed to educate kids on what it was like to have their appendix out.  
>Leo paused, a sudden feeling of apprehension creeping into him. He didn't do well with patients that weren't unconscious, particularly kids. All the screaming and crying; the way they stared at him whenever he walked into the room... With adults he always just chalked it up to cruelty, but with kids... nothing tells you you're a freak better than a four year old blatantly saying it to your face.<p>

The nurse was the first to look up at him. He straightened slightly- unfamiliar as he was with the peds nurses, he could tell just by her voice that she wasn't from New York. However, much to his surprise, she barely gave him a passing glance, instead turning her focus to the girl in her arms.

"Lily, this is Dr. Hamato. You remember, the special doctor that said he would make a trip here just to see you?"

The girl nodded, smiling up at him as if he were no different than the nurse beside her. His heart melted a little.

"Hey Lily," he started, walking to the unoccupied side of the bed and pulling up a chair. Willow reached behind her and picked the girl's chart up off the bedside table and handed it to him as he sat down. For a split second the two looked at each other, a feeling of silent urgency passing to him from the exotic woman's eyes. Flipping through the chart, he hummed softly.

"Ultrasound shows considerable inflammation, white count is...high." He looked at the girl, then the chart again, "_Extremely _high."

"Does that mean I'm gonna die?" Lily whimpered, and Leo startled slightly.

"No, Lily-not at all. It just means I'm going to work extra hard to make sure you get better." Closing the chart, he stood beside her, smiling, "Can you lie down for me for a minute?"

She looked to Willow, who gently helped her to lie back in the bed. Leonardo began assessing her abdomen, pulling his hands away when she whimpered.

"Did that hurt?"  
>"Mm-hm."<br>"Does it hurt more when I press down or when I let go?"  
>She cried out as he felt the right side of her belly again. "When you let go- please stop Dr. Hamato..."<p>

He looked across her to Willow, whose look of concern changed to one of irritation when he caught her eye.

"Satisfied?"  
>"Could we talk outside for a minute?"<p>

She huffed, waving in one of the nurses that hovered outside the door. Once Lily had someone else in the room with her, the two stepped out.

"What is it?"  
>"Her appendix is still intact."<br>Willow made a face, "No...You're shitting me! And here I was thinking the ultrasound was wrong!"

He was caught off-guard by her brashness, "But her white count-"  
>"Look, Dr. Hamato," she cut him off, "I know it doesn't make sense. But the longer you worry about her white count versus her appendix, the less time you have to get that bastard out of her before it blows up- at which point she'll have <em>no<em> white count because she'll go right into end-stage sepsis."

Leo balked. Who _was_ this woman?

"Look, if you go talk to the family and get consent, I'll go alert surgery to get ready. Sound good?"

By now he'd regained some of his composure, and nodded slightly.

"That would be appreciated Miss..."  
>"Akasaka," she filled in, walking away, "But call me Willow. I'll see you in surgery."<p>

She disappeared around the corner, and after the resident was finished collecting himself, he turned and made his way toward the waiting room.

...

Raphael had driven around for nearly three hours, hoping a late-night bike ride in the cool October air would chill his temper, but it just made him cold. Deciding it would be better to turn in for the night rather than freeze to death, he opted to crash in the spare medic barracks at the hospital instead of driving all the way home.

He entered the small back-room with a sigh; the on-duty crew was out at the moment, giving him the freedom to get settled in and asleep before they got back from their run. Stripping as he walked, he tossed all un-essential clothing onto the small sofa in the corner as he made his way to the bed against the far wall.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't remember ordering a male stripper."

Nearly jumping out of his skin, the turtle laughed when he looked up and saw his partner peeping down at him from the top bunk of the bed.

"Damnit Ella, what are you doing here?"  
>She laughed. "Bryce is in surgery late. What are <em>you<em> doing here?"  
>He ran a hand over his face, continuing on with his bedtime routine. "Couldn't sleep at home. Figured it'd be better if I just came here- that way if I ever <em>do <em>get to sleep I'll be able to stay in bed longer in the morning."  
>Chuckling, she rolled back to her side, pulling the blanket up over her shoulder. "Did you even <em>go<em> home? You're still wearing your work clothes."  
>"Just bein' prepared for tomorrow."<br>"They're the ones you wore today_, _Raph."

The ninja grumbled. How the hell did she always seem to read through him?

"…Leo pissed me off when we were at dinner, so I left to blow off some steam."  
>At that she rolled upright, a knowing look on her face. "Ah, there it is."<br>"I just hate bein' at home when he's bein' a prick, ya know?" He went on, flopping on the bed below her and pulling his boots off, "I'm better off here, where I know I'm not gonna start a fight."  
>Ella tilted her head to the side, leaning against the wall and drawing the blanket up around her. "Hey, at least you've gotten to where you'd rather walk away then wait around for a fight you know is pointless. Two years ago you probably would have just had it out over dinner and gotten kicked out of the restaurant."<br>"True."  
>"So how's he being a prick this time?"<br>Raph huffed, lying down in the bed with his arms crossed behind his head, "Just…brother stuff. Tryin' to set me up with his doctor friends, talking to me like I need a direction in life."  
>"Oh, you mean like caring about you?"<br>He rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."  
>"Who'd he try to set you up with this time?"<br>"Same person- Kelsie Carmichael."  
>"Ah, Dr. C."<br>"Yep."  
>Ella shook her head, grinning slightly, "I don't see why you <em>don't<em> like her. I mean, she's got the brains of…someone who has a lot of brains. Not to mention she has the social skills of a ferret."  
>The older medic snorted, "Nice."<p>

"Don't take it too hard, Raph. You know he's just tryin' to look out for you. He just wants you to be happy."  
>"Yeah well I <em>am<em>happy." He interjected, "I'm perfectly happy just doin' my job, livin' my life."

Ella raised her eyebrows, lying back down in her bed with a chuckle, "Sure Raph. Whatever you say."

He would have come back at her with some smart comment, but he suddenly realized how tired he was. Muttering a soft 'good night,' he barely heard Ella reply as he drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Occurrence

**A/N: **Sorry this update took so long to happen! For those r/r'ing, thank you! And don't worry, a real plot will present itself soon. ;)  
><strong>-<strong>

**Chapter Four: Occurrence  
><strong>  
>"Donnie."<br>"Mm."  
>"Don."<br>"Meh."  
>"...!"<p>

The purple-masked pharmacist grumbled half-heartedly as he rolled over just enough to peek up at the intruder that was his little brother, before burying his face back into the pillow.

"No."  
>Michelangelo laughed. "You don't even know what I'm here for, dude."<br>"I can imagine."  
>"Do you know what today is?"<br>Donatello pulled the blankets over his head without giving it much thought. "The day I'm lucky enough for you to let me sleep in?"  
>"It's Thursday, man."<p>

A contemplative pause, and Donnie groaned. "Oh, come on, Mikey. Not today; I want to sleep in..."  
>"No way, dude!" He pulled the covers away from the bed, trying not to laugh out loud when his brother assumed the fetal position against the cold. "You've been avoiding physical therapy for four weeks now; it's time to go."<p>

"But my shoulder's fine." He pouted, swiping blindly for the sheets before curling up again.

"You're starting back on the muscle relaxers, Don. You're not 'fine.' You're going." Mikey dropped the blankets to the floor, walking to the door and flipping on the overhead light as he left. "I called and requested to go in late just to take you- so come on. Ten minutes."

"Whatever." Donatello muttered, sliding to the edge of the bed to retrieve his covers only to find he was more awake than he wanted to be. Whispering a small string of curses, he decided against the ten minute snooze and rolled out of bed to get ready to go to Physical Therapy.  
>_-<p>

Raphael stirred under the scratchy blankets of the medical barracks bed. Feeling the chill of the brisk autumn air seep in through the top of the sheet he pulled it tighter around his neck, wishing it away to no avail.

The only thing that turned his mind in the slightest toward the prospect of waking up was the gentle smell of coffee that was slowly making itself present in his senses. Settling into his pillow, the paramedic tilted his head back to get a better whiff of the ambrosia, but was startled when a sharp jolt ran through his bed.

"Wakey wakey!"

Eyes snapping open, he was prepared to retaliate with the most vulgar line of words he could manage...until he saw Ella standing beside his bed, a cup of coffee in either hand.  
>The young woman laughed at his furious expression, more than used to outbursts of rage (or, as she liked to call them, ragebursts) by now.<p>

"Oh, what? You gonna yell at me? Come on with it then, beyotch- I'll keep all the coffee to my damn self."

The ninja continued to regard her with an ill eye as he rolled upright, holding out a hand in silent demand for caffeinated sustenance. She only smiled sweetly, passing off the mug intended for him without another word as she sat down in the chair catty-cornered to his bed, curling her legs up close as she sipped from her own cup.

The two sat in silence, just how they liked it. Raph had been around Ella long enough to know if she was joking around this early in the morning it meant she'd spent the night in bed alone and didn't want to talk about it; and Ella had been around Raph long enough to know he didn't really like to talk at all.

So talk they didn't. They just sat quietly and drank their coffee until the clock struck 8, and then they got up and got ready for work.  
>_-<p>

"Dr. Hamato, here's the chart you wanted."

Leonardo looked up from the Physician's station at the nurse that stood before him, shyly offering the chart of the appendectomy patient he'd operated on the night before.

"Thank you," he managed before becoming engrossed in the notes other nighttime doctors had written on the girl. As he flipped through the few dictated pages over and over, the curious frown on his face grew longer and longer.

"Something interesting?"

The turtle stopped his mulling to look up at Bryce as he stood at the foot of the desk.

"The Franklin girl," he said softly, "Her white count's still up."

Bryce paused, recollecting every detail of the case his student had told him about the night before, then moved to look down at the chart over his shoulder.

"That isn't so uncommon right after surgery. Her appendix was huge, it's a wonder it hadn't burst already right? We've got her on antibiotics anyway, Leo, relax."

"Right." He mumbled, only halfway believing himself. Something wasn't right about this girl, but he just couldn't quite put his finger on it...

"Come on. Two more patients on this floor and then we move to A9."

"Oh, sure." Leonardo scribbled his initials on the "morning rounds" page and stood, handing the chart off to the unit secretary as he went to follow his mentor off the floor.  
>_-<p>

There was very little entertaining about the physical therapy center of St. Luke.

Michelangelo had been sitting in the waiting room of the renowned building for the better part of an hour, trying desperately to get lost in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine he'd found sitting on an end table. It wasn't working.

(He'd better actually be doing something in there,) He thought, giving up on reading and tossing the magazine back onto the table before turning to his phone for entertainment. (Not fucking around with some PT.)

He paused at the thought. Wasn't Donnie's PT a dude? He shrugged. It was just as well. He was tired of hearing about his older brother's latest piece of ass; Don changing teams might actually liven up conversation a little.

As his phone lit up, Mikey's heart jerked. It was a picture of him with his brothers some years ago at April and Casey's. It was Christmastime- the icicle lights he and Raph had helped string around the porch hung haphazardly into the scene, heavy with the actual ice that had formed on them the night after they'd been strung.

The turtles weren't much younger then, but they looked it. All smiles- except Raph, naturally- arms wrapped around one another's shoulders good-naturedly as they stared into the camera Splinter held. Their mentor made his own appearance in the picture by way of his hairy thumb sticking into the side of the frame, having forgotten to remove it from in front of the lens before snapping the shot.

By all accounts it was a horrible picture, but that's what Mikey had liked about it the most- it was the story of his family: imperfect, strange, and goofy. That was the reason he kept it around. It reminded him of how close they all used to be, all before they were found out and pressured into attempting to live 'normal lives'…

The sound of a passerby snapped him out of his trance, and he scrolled the screensaver up as if the stranger might catch him looking longingly into his past. But they didn't, and so he went on to settle into a game of Angry Birds as he waited for his brother to finish with his therapy session.

-  
>In the actual workout room, Donatello was giving it much, much less than his all on the weight-lifting machine.<p>

"Your achievement-to-goal ratio has gotten...further apart, than it was last month, Mr. Hamato." The poor therapist didn't really know where to start with him, having gotten used to the 9AM slot reserved specifically for the pharmacist being a small coffee break. It was obvious he was surprised the turtle had even showed up, as was evident by his lack of encouragement or direction.

Donnie stopped, knowing 'you're doing shitty' talk when he heard it. "I know. I'm not really trying. I don't come here because it's a waste of time."

The young man was flabbergasted. "Oh, no, Mr. Hamato-"

"_Doctor_ Hamato," he corrected harshly, then, uninterested, "Look, I don't want to be here any more than you do so; why don't you just run and go get donuts or whatever it is you do with the money the Governor pays to have this spot held for me every week, and I'll sit here and pretend to work out this bitch of a shoulder to make my brother happy before he has to go to work. Sound good?"  
>The therapist considered the ethics of the ninja's offer...until Donatello pulled a 100-dollar-bill from his sweatpants pocket and held it out to him. The boy took the money and quietly left.<p>

"Make sure you lock the door behind you!" Donnie called out after him, "I'm tired of there being ten people in here with me..."

Apparently the kid hadn't heard him; because no sooner had the door to the tiny gym closed it opened again, letting in a small string of people.

"Damnit, I thought I said lock the door-" he trailed off when he realized the intruders were children- four, to be exact- all hobbling in on crutches or with slings and various casts. Thankfully for him none of them had seemed to notice his scolding.

But their teacher had.

A tall, curvy woman, she stood in the doorway behind the kids as they filed in, a look of irritation on her pretty face as she glowered down on the mutant sitting at the bench press.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." He muttered, chalking her odd stare up to prejudice before she'd even opened her mouth.

"If I wanted a picture of someone who half-butts a fifty-pound bench press, I would." Her comeback, so innocent in its tone, caught him off guard, but she was already working with her kids by the time he thought to retaliate.

So he stayed quiet, contempt for this pediatric physical therapist building as he watched her work. She was so kind, so direct with her instructions. Her kids adored her.  
>Ten minutes passed. Only twice did the lady therapist turn to look at Donatello, a small timeframe in which he discovered her first name was Madison via her nametag, but otherwise no other words were exchanged.<p>

Finally Donnie's PT came back, a small bag of donuts and a cup of coffee in tow for his favorite patient. As the turtle stood up to accept his gifts and call it a day, his trainer smiled over at the other therapist.

"Good morning Ms. DeShant, how are you?"

"Wonderful, Kenny." She smiled back at him from her place kneeling beside one of her children in the floor, "My kids are great, and your brain injury patient was no trouble to watch while you were out."

Kenny stammered, glancing nervously at Donatello- who looked displeased as he sipped his coffee.

"I didn't tell her to say that." He pleaded quietly.

Donnie didn't hear him. He didn't really pay attention to him at all, for that matter. Giving one last perturbed look to Ms. Madison DeShant he stood up, took his coffee, and left to go take his brother to work.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

"Truck 8587, we have reports of a GSW on Highland at 216. Can you respond?"

Raph glanced over to Ella, who nodded, prompting him to pick up the walkie.

"This is 8587 confirming pickup for gunshot on Highland. En route."

Pushing the truck into drive, the medics started their fourth run of the morning to a location at least ten minutes away.

"You alright with a gunshot wound?" He looked down at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"You're seriously asking me that?" laughing, she brushed her hair away from her face, "How long have we been working together?"

Raph chuckled. "Not long enough for me to alright with taking you into gunshot territory without asking."

"I'm a big girl, Raph. I can handle it."

He gave her a sideways look, knowing her attitude.

"You guys fight after I went to bed last night?"

"We're not talking about it," she warned, "Just drive."  
>"Alright," He shrugged, "Don't say I never asked."<br>"I never do."

It took them about fifteen minutes to get to the location- what with it being near lunch hour and everyone heading out an about to grab a bite before going back to their mundane jobs. Once they'd turned onto the street of the incident, however, it was almost as if they'd hit a ghost town.

"Weird," Ella muttered, sitting upright in her seat to get a better look at the road as they rolled closer to the address, "Doesn't look like anyone's here."  
>Raphael quirked his lips in skepticism, knowing this scenario a little too well. "That's because everyone's hiding."<p>

She furrowed her brows. "What?"

He had no intention of explaining. Pulling off to the side of the street he put the truck into park, picking up the walkie as he glanced toward the apartment their alleged patient was in.

"Station this is 8587 requesting police backup at the GSW location."  
>A short pause, then. "8587 What is your need for police backup?"<br>"…Call it a hunch."

He hung up the walkie, sliding his seatbelt off as he popped the door.

"Stay here."  
>"Whatever," Ella rolled her eyes, sliding her belt off as well. Before she could open her door Raphael turned to her.<br>"Ella, I'm serious. Stay in the truck."  
>"Raph, I'm serious too," She looked at him levelly, "I'm not stupid, and I'm not letting you go in there by yourself."<p>

He stared her down for a few seconds, then- seeing she wasn't going to budge- he let out a sigh.

"Fine. Just…stay behind me."  
>"Sure."<p>

Her failure to take his apparent apprehension of the situation seriously frustrated him to no end, but it was something he'd grown used to from the younger woman. Deciding it was better to just make certain she didn't do anything stupid he headed for the front door, being sure to keep several steps ahead of her.

He knocked twice, and moments later the door opened. A young Hispanic woman looked at him, her face calm but her eyes screaming otherwise. As Raphael stepped inside he thought to ask her where the trouble was, but the problem presented itself immediately.

A child, probably no older than 6, laid in the floor; a steady trickle of blood finding its way around his back and onto the old wooden surface behind him.

"Oh my god." Ella rushed past Raph the moment she saw the boy, dropping to her knees beside him and setting in on his wound.

Raphael would have been right next to her, had the woman who had let them in not started muttering very quickly in Spanish.

He didn't speak Spanish. Not really, anyway. Sure, April had tried to teach him the basics after she'd come back from her crazy excursions in South America, but really the only words that had stuck were 'beer' and 'gun'.

The word this woman kept saying didn't sound like beer.

"Ella." Raphael's eyes followed the woman's to the source of the silence in the house, and he felt his adrenaline begin to pick up, "Don't move."

The younger medic looked at him to ask what was wrong, but was cut off when the barrel of a gun pressed against the side of her face.

"Get up."


	5. Chapter 5: Sideways

**A/N: Hey hey! Just thought you'd want to read this! Sorry it's so late! Hope you enjoy it!  
><strong>**  
><span>Chapter Five: Sideways<span>**

"Get up."

Ella's brown eyes were wider than usual, flitting tensely between the man and the gun pressed to her face.

"Raph...?"  
>"Do as he says, El." The ninja's voice was level, calm. His partner obeyed, rising from her post beside the bleeding boy to face off with the gunman.<p>

"It isn't arterial, but if we don't get him out of here soon he'll bleed out."

"Stop talking!" The man yelled, before going off into a Spanish rant aimed at the woman of the house.

Raph looked at her, this lady he knew nothing about. She stared intently at the child on the floor, lips quivering as she willed him to stay alive. It wasn't until that moment that he realized the kid's eyes were actually open, almost peaceful as he watched the situation above him unfold.

"What do you want?" Raphael finally asked the gunman when he caught his eyes on him.

"Deja!- _leave! Now."  
><em>"The kid-"  
>"He stays."<br>"We can't do that." Ella blurted out. The man turned on her, swinging to catch the side of her face with the butt of the gun. She yelped, clutching her cheek as it started to bleed and looked at him.

"Oh, that was a bad idea."

The man looked puzzled, and then terrified as Raphael stepped behind him and picked him up, disarming him with little more than a shake and throwing him clear into the kitchen, breaking the small wooden table that sat to the side.  
>There was a moment of pressed silence; Raph monitored the unconscious man to make sure he stayed that way, Ella and the mother went back to the boy's side to stabilize him for moving... then the voices started. It was distant at first- people upstairs whispering amongst themselves in a language the medics barely understood. Then it got louder and closer- the voices were harsh, angry. Something was going on.<p>

Raphael stood perfectly still, eyes scanning the ceiling as he understood this situation as one he'd been through hundreds of times.

"Get them out of here."

Ella didn't hesitate, throwing protocol to the wind as she slid her arms under the boy and peeled him off the floor. He only whimpered, soothed back into silence by the touch of his mother beside them. As they started for the door a loud yell came from the top of the stairs. Both women turned to see two men with guns glaring down at Raphael, before catching sight of them in the hallway.

Ella held her breath. The woman grabbed her arm.

"Correr."  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

Donatello sighed, drumming his fingertips on the smooth surface of the lab countertop as he watched the plasma processing machine with mild interest.

"How's it coming?"

Neil, the other dayshift pharmacist, was on duty. Peeking through a rack of fresh frozen plasma he caught Don's eye.

"Eh, fine."

The ninja didn't want to be here; processing plasma on his days off was just one of many things he did when he was trying to keep himself out of trouble. Since he left the house that morning with Mikey for physical therapy he'd received somewhere around ten calls from Shelly, all of which he ignored.

(Can't let her think I'm here all the time,) He told himself, (If I see her twice in a week I'll never get rid of her.)

And so to the lab he went, offering his assistive services to Neil as they were needed.

...so far they weren't really needed that much.

"Heard anything back from the Company yet?"

Donatello grumbled. "The Company" was what they referred to when they were talking about their cancer research. Over the last few years their prototypes and paperwork had been submitted to so many different facilities it was hard to keep up with who was responding and who wasn't, so the scientists just settled on a general name that summed up all of them.

"I'll take that as a no."  
>"They told me the first round of trial samples would be in by the end of the week."<br>"It's Thursday."  
>"Yes Neil- I too own a calendar and a phone that displays the current date."<p>

Neil chuckled, letting his partner's irritated attitude roll off his back as he went back to sorting pills...or whatever it was he was doing.

"Don't take it so personally, Don. At least you have a prototype in the field that might actually work. If it turns out to be a cure, I think it's worth the wait."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks."  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

"Run!"

Ella stared at the woman as her words registered. Grabbing the young medic by her arm, the mother nearly threw her into the front door, pushing her to go outside.

"Raph!"

"Go Ella!"

She turned and kept moving, adrenaline and fear pushing her outside even when the sound of gunshots and screaming rang out behind her. She was running for her life and the life of the child she held in her arms.

"This way!" The screaming was louder now, closer. The woman that followed her began crying out in her native tongue, and Ella could only guess she was begging their attackers to stop, pleading for them to leave her son alone. But they didn't. As they reached the truck Ella had to pause to open the door, nearly catching a bullet with her shoulder as she turned to lean into the truck.

"Shit!" The woman yelled in almost perfect English. Ella couldn't help but let out a shocked laugh.

"I know, right?"

They jumped inside, slamming the doors behind them. Ella made quick work of the boy's injury, packing him tight and starting fluids before strapping him in. All the while the commotion outside seemed to get worse, but she tried her best to tune it out as she finished preparing the child for transport.

"Raph will be out here soon, okay?" She looked between the boy and his mother, who were staring at each other almost calmly, "Help is on the way." She looked to the mom. "Understand?"  
>"Yes." She replied with a nod, and for a moment Ella wondered if this woman <em>didn't <em>speak English... But the recurring sound of gunfire snapped her out of it.  
>"Okay, I'm going to get the truck ready to move," She turned to the mother, gently taking her shoulders in her hands to guide her back to the part of the bench that had a seatbelt, "You just sit back right here and..."<p>

She trailed off when she felt her hand was wet. Very wet. Pulling it back she gasped.

"You're bleeding!"

The woman looked at her for a moment, then to the wound, then to her son.

"Te amo."

With that, she slumped forward into Ella's arms.

"Ohhhh no." Ella took on the woman's increasing dead weight, turning herself out of the seat and laying her down on the bench, "No, no, no, no! Don't do this! Not now, not here!" She looked back at the boy, still silent, still watching. "You can't die, lady! Don't you get it? You have to stay alive! For him!"

But it was no use; the mother gave a small smile to her- as if the entire situation were something funny- and breathed her last. Ella stared at her as her eyes glassed over, releasing the vice-like grip she held over the wound above her heart.

"Fuck…" She whispered, before snapping to attention at the sound of the driver's-side door opening and slamming shut. A moment of fumbling with the walkie and Raph's winded voice came into play.

"Base this is truck 8587 requesting _immediate _life flight and second-ambulance assistance on Caraway and 45th over."

Ella furrowed her eyebrows. 45th and Caraway? That intersection was at _least_ two streets over, and _life-flight?_

"Raph, what's going on?"

He didn't pay any attention to her, missing the walkie's stand as he attempted to slam it down. The small box clattered to the floor, the noise lost in the sound of the truck's engine whirring into gear as he took off at a speed much faster than what she was used to. Pitching forward Ella hit the gurney beside her with a loud yelp and fell in the floor.

"Raph, what the hell are you doing?"

Still no answer. Pulling herself to her feet she decided the only safe option would be to sit at the seat above the stretcher and buckle up, but she never made it that far. Looking ahead through the windshield she saw that as they were reaching the corner of 45th and Caraway, they were running seriously close to the curb...and then they were on the curb.

"Shit!" She yelled as the ambulance slammed into one of the small trees on the sidewalk, effectively throwing her into the front of the truck right beside Raphael. Quickly making sure she hadn't broken anything, she then looked up to her partner, the entire situation of panic suddenly making sense.

The ninja slumped forward onto the steering wheel, holding one strong hand over his profusely bleeding leg.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

Leonardo sat in the staff lounge, quietly drinking his coffee as he mulled over the chart of his pediatric patient for what must have been the fourth time that morning. He couldn't really explain it, this unsettling interest he seemed incapable of letting go of. There was just something about this case that…that spoke to him. That told him something wasn't right. Her labs were still abnormal, but the CT of her abdomen proved the surgery had been successful. No leakage of the appendix had been found in the cavity. Still, _why_ was her white count so high, even after all of the antibiotics? Maybe they needed to start her on something more broad-spectrum…

The lounge door flew open so fast he nearly fell out of his seat.

"Something's wrong with Ella."

Bryce's words barely registered before the look of distress on his face did. Leo closed the chart.

"…What?"  
>"Ella." He repeated, pacing the length of the staff lockers beside them. "And Raphael. They radioed in nearly half an hour ago requesting police backup at the run they were on and they haven't called back since."<p>

_That_ got his attention. "Did police not send a car out?"  
>"Dispatch radioed for one, but most of the patrol cars in that area were in the middle of a drug bust and the next closest car was at least twenty minutes out."<br>"They couldn't spare _one _car?" Leo stood up, moving to his locker to grab his coat. "Where are they?"  
>"They didn't tell me." Bryce ran a hand through his hair. "Trust me, if they had I wouldn't just be running around like this."<br>"Right."

The ninja pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and flipped it open, hitting Raph's speed dial number. It rang a few times before going to voicemail, but before it beeped to leave a message Leo punched in a few more numbers and hung up. Seconds later his phone buzzed, and a text appeared that read "45th and Caraway."

"Got it." Leo snapped his phone shut.  
>"I would ask, but at this point I'm afraid I don't really care." Bryce grabbed his coat out of his locker and the two turned for the door, but were stopped when it opened and a young man stepped in to meet them.<p>

"Dr. Lawson, Dr. Hamato." He sounded panicked, "We've just received another radio request from ambulance 8587 asking for life-flight and another ambulance. You're needed in trauma to receive the chopper immediately."  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

"You have _got_ to be _fucking _kidding me!"

Raphael let out a weak laugh, rolling his head to the side to look at his partner.

"This just ain't our day, is it kid?"  
>"Shut up." She wasn't in the mood for his high-risk humor at the moment. Disappearing into the back she checked on the patient before returning with a handful of packing gauze and pressure tape.<br>"Aw, what's the matter Ell, too much action?"  
>"Raphael I swear to god," She grumbled, pushing him back in the seat to get a better look at the wound. After a few seconds she shook her head. "The pants have got to go."<br>"Never really liked these anyway."

Pulling her shears from the clip on her belt she set in on them, cutting his entire right pant leg off in seconds.

"Man, you sure seem like you've done this before."

She didn't respond, ripping the fabric the rest of the way down to expose the bullet hole. After a moment of packing, she pushed into it.

"Ah, god-_dammit!_" He hissed through clenched teeth as he pressed his head back into the seat. "Be _easy_ would ya?"  
>"You know I can't do that." She stayed focused on the wound, quickly seeing the pressure she was applying wasn't working. "It's still bleeding."<br>"No shit."  
>"I need a better angle on it." She stood up, shoving him back again when he tried to lean forward. Sliding one leg across the seat she sat in his lap, holding the gauze straight down on the wound. A moment later the blood stopped seeping out through her fingers.<p>

"…There."

Raphael looked at his leg, then to his partner who was very casually straddling him.

"I don't think Bryce would like this very much."

She tried to glare at him, but started laughing instead.

"Yeah, somehow I think he'll understand."  
>They both chuckled for a second before looking back to the wound.<p>

"How many were there?"  
>"Six." He replied, knowing she was asking about the fight. "It really wasn't fair."<br>"I'll say."  
>"I meant for them."<br>Ella rolled her eyes. "I know you did."

Beside them, the radio buzzed to life.

"Truck 8587 this is base, over."  
>"Hold this for a sec." The young woman passed the pressure hold to her partner as she leaned sideways to grab the walkie out of the floorboard. Clicking the button to 'talk' she cleared her throat.<br>"Truck 8587."  
>"What's going on?"<br>"Shoot-out. My partner's been hit in the leg and we have a child with a bullet-wound in the back. His mother…" She glanced at Raph, realizing she hadn't told him the last piece of information yet, "His mother was hit in the chest, we lost her en route."

A look of shock washed over his face, before being replaced by one of irritation.

"…Son of a bitch." He grumbled.  
>"Truck 8587 you requested another ambulance <em>and <em>life-flight?"  
>"Life-flight for the boy, ambulance for my partner. We…sort of crashed into a cherry-wood tree."<br>"Sort of?"  
>"…A little bit."<p>

Static, then. "Request granted. Help is on the way. Stay put 8587."

They buzzed out, and Ella hung the radio back on the dash where it belonged.

"Don't think that'll be a problem, Joe." Raphael muttered.  
>"Bryce is probably freaking out right now," Ella shook her head, sliding her hand under his to resume her shift of holding pressure, "You <em>know<em> they told him."  
>"Yeah, Leo too. I'd be surprised if they didn't start comin' out here before someone caught them to go to the life-flight call." When he saw her confused look he explained. "We've all got this GPS thing on our phones so if somethin' like this goes down we can find each other easy."<br>"Somehow I'm not surprised."  
>"Hm."<p>

The two were quiet for a minute, before Raphael ran a hand down his face.

"Startin' to get kinda woozy..."

Ella frowned. "No way. None of that, asshole. I can't have you going out on me, okay? Hang in there."  
>He smiled weakly. "Careful kid, you're starting to sound like me."<br>"You need to stay awake."  
>"So talk to me about something."<p>

She fumbled for a second, then shook her head. "I don't know what to talk about."

"You're killin' me, Ell."

She threw her free hand in the air. "Well what am I supposed to say? I don't know of _anything_ that would hold your interest for more than a minute that _I _could talk about."

"How about that fight you had this mornin'? The one you were all touchy about?"

She rolled her eyes. "Raph-"

"I'm fadin' out here, Ella. I'm headin for the light!"  
>"Oh for the love-" She punched him in the chest, and he laughed. She sighed. "…It's actually kind of hard to remember now. After shit like <em>this<em> happens, little bitchy fights just don't seem to matter as much."  
>"Yeah, I can get that."<br>"I think it was about his hours. He said he wouldn't be able to take off Christmas this year because the primary Pediatric surgeon was going into rehab or something. I mean I get it, but...we just haven't spent Christmas together in like three years. Couldn't someone else do it? It sucks." She shrugged. "But you know, it is what it is." Stopping, she noticed he had closed his eyes. "...Raph?" Shaking him gently, she furrowed her brow. "Raph. Raphael!"

He didn't wake up.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

"Uno."  
>"No fucking way!"<p>

James leaned back in his seat, throwing a smug smile to his partner as he waved his remaining card in the air.

"Yes fucking way. Your move, pinhead."

Mikey grumbled, looking over his cards with intense focus.

"This is so not fair."  
>"Hey if you ain't got anything..."<br>"Oh I've _got_ something!" He shot him a look. "I've got...the _best_ card..."

As if it were Heaven-sent help, the call radio buzzed to life on the other side of the room.

"Life flight this is base. We have a request for immediate assistance on 45th and Caraway from truck 8587, can you respond?"

James made a face. "You lucked out this time, Hamato."

"Yeah, yeah. _You're _the one who lucked out." He stood, walking over to the radio. "This is life-flight. Go ahead."

"45th and Caraway. 6-year-old male with a GSW. The scene is currently clear but one of the medics on the truck has been shot."

They froze. Mikey looked to James.

"8587."  
>"That's Ella and Raph's truck."<p>

Mikey dropped the walkie, grabbed his helmet and ran to the chopper. James was right behind him, pausing just long enough to confirm the call with base before heading out.

Their flight to the intersection was record timing, but even then the nearest ambulance had beat them to the scene. As the duo jumped out of the helicopter they caught a glimpse of Ella helping another medic pull Raph's unconscious body from the driver's seat.

"Raph?" Mikey's voice was strangled as he abandoned his partner to run to his brother. James didn't try to stop him, going instead to move the child they were there for.

Mikey reached the truck and nearly barreled over the first responders that were helping with the move. Taking his brother by the shoulders he lifted him almost effortlessly to lay on the gurney they had beside the door. He didn't bother talking. Too many situations like this had taught him it was best to just get the job done and ask questions later, but the second he saw Ella he knew what had happened. Her cheek was swollen, blood-matted hair stuck to the side of her face where a large cut was still trickling blood down her neck. She never said a word; scared eyes fixed in a hard stare on his brother as she finished strapping him in before turning into the truck to help James with the kid. Michelangelo looked to his brother, placing a hand on the top of his head quietly as the nearest medic rambled off the last set of vitals signs. He was alive, barely.

"'Ey Mikey!" James's voice rang out from inside the truck. "I know you're strugglin man but we gotta move this kid before he goes Q-sign!"

Giving one last hopeful look at his brother Mikey turned and went to the foot of the wrecked truck to meet James, Ella and the boy.  
>Ella didn't look at either of them. "The bleeding's stopped at the site but there's no telling what kind of internal damage might've happened before and-or after we got him. Here's what notes I could make on him."<p>

He took the clipboard. "Any family?"

James winced, and Mikey followed his gaze to the body lying on the bench in the back.

"...we'll take it from here."

Ella nodded, smoothing the child's hair down and muttering a few soft words of encouragement to him before jumping out and going to catch up with the other ambulance.

Mikey turned after her. "Ella!" She looked back at him, and he cleared his throat. "...Keep him alive."

She only stared at him for a second before disappearing behind the ambulance.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

Donatello had _just _heard the news.

"Sir, you can't be up here!"

Poor OR secretary. She really didn't see it coming.

"Sir please, this is a restricted area!"

But he kept walking. Pushing through another set of double doors he found who he was looking for.

"What the _hell_ happened?"

Leo and Bryce stood tensely in the receiving area, gowned up and ready to go. His brother turned to him. "Donnie?"

"I just heard." He was beyond angry, "From two _Ortho_ nurses who just _happened _to be talking about it when they stopped by to pick up their meds!"

As Bryce sent the secretary away, Leo shook his head.

"Don I didn't even know you were here today."  
>"You couldn't have <em>called?<em>"  
>"We were paged to prep for surgery seconds after we found out, Donatello." Bryce sounded calm but looked annoyed. "We haven't had time to do anything else."<p>

"Whatever, it doesn't matter." He ran a hand over his face. "Have you heard anything else? How bad is it?"  
>"The kid <em>and <em>Raph are in critical condition." Leo began stripping his no-longer sterile equipment off and walked to the sink. "Bryce is taking Raph, I'm taking the child."  
>Don looked confused. "Why can't you take Raph? You know him better-"<br>"Which is precisely why he can't operate on him." Bryce followed Leo's lead, moving to the sink to toss his gown and rewash his hands. "You have to leave now. They should be here any minute and we need a sterile area to work in."

Normally Donatello- the "new" one, that is- would have blown up and said something like "Fuck your sterile room," but the old Donatello, the one who remembered how _not _to be an asshole in high-stress situations, got ahold of him first.

"I'll be outside. Let me know if you need anything."

The doctors nodded their thanks and the pharmacist turned and walked through the doors, going to the waiting room. Around the time he'd calmed his nerves enough to sit down, James and Michelangelo walked in. Both were somewhat bloody and out of breath.

Don stood up. "How is he?"  
>James shrugged. "Don't know. We had the kid."<br>"Where's Raph?"

The medics looked at one another, James furrowing his eyebrows. "We rolled in with the boy a good fifteen minutes ago. The truck should be here by now."  
>Mikey turned to the waiting room door. "I can check and see if Bryce is in the OR yet."<br>"He is," the older man waved him down; "I saw his name on the In Progress board when we walked in."  
>"Where's Ella?"<p>

"Haven't seen her." Don shook his head. "They didn't make her stay with the wrecked truck?"  
>"They couldn't have even if they'd wanted to. I'll check ER. She was pretty cut up when we got there, probably needs stitches." Mikey walked out the door.<p>

Donatello and James stood in silence for a minute before sitting down.

"I'm getting too old for this shit." James leaned back, crossing his hands behind his head.  
>The ninja shot him a look. "Seriously? You're saying that <em>now<em>?"  
>"Why not?"<br>"Oh, I don't know. Maybe something about my brother being on a operating table just kind makes it inappropriate for the moment."  
>James chuckled. "Hey, Raph's the one that told me you guys usually clown around when stuff like this happens. I'm sure he wouldn't want you sittin out here being all mopey about it. He's tough. You know he'll pull through."<p>

He reclined in his chair even further, and for a second Donatello expected him to prop his feet up. But he didn't, and the next-to-youngest turtle just sighed.

"I hope you're right."  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

Michelangelo walked quickly down the winding hallways leading out of the OR, making his way to the ER as fast as he could. Knowing his brother and the boy they'd brought in were in good hands was enough to keep him from banging his head against the wall with anxiety, but it didn't exactly make him want to sit around and wait for a verdict. Especially when he knew one of his friends was alone after going through all of this.

He had just reached the end of the last hallway when the sound of someone crying caught his ear. Turning on his heel he followed the sniffling to one of the unused recovery rooms near the exit. Walking in, he took a moment to flip on the lights before looking around. The room was empty, for the most part. Recovery rooms at St. James were set up much like the rooms you sat in when you went to the Doctor's office, only there was no table for you to sit on, just a curtain to shield you from the door as you lay on whatever bed they brought you in on. The curtain started in the far corner, where it hung almost to the floor. Just below where it ended Mikey could barely see the bottoms of Ella's shoes peeking down from the chair she sat in.

"Ella…?"  
>"Please leave." Her voice was shaking. "Please."<p>

He did just the opposite, crossing the rest of the way and pulling the curtain back. She looked up at him, the swelling in her face worse than it was earlier and her eyes red from crying. Mikey looked her over and shook his head slightly.

"You know I can't do that."

Ella just stared at him as he turned to the sink, grabbing a washcloth off the counter and a small suture kit out of the cabinet. A minute later he was back in front of her setting things up on the wide metal windowsill beside them.

"Sit up here."  
>"Mikey-"<br>"_Sit."  
><em>  
>She sighed, pushing up from the chair to move to the window, seating her almost eye-level with the medic. A moment more of equipment prepping and he turned to her.<p>

"Wipe your face." When she gave him a tired look he tilted his head. "Please."

Taking the wet cloth from him she dabbed the cuts on her cheeks, gritting her teeth to keep from groaning. When the towel was covered in blood he handed her another one, continuing until her face was, for the most part, clean. He examined the wound, gently running a thumb over the main wide gash to get a better look at the depth.

"…You need stitches."  
>"I know." She acknowledged the kit between them. "…Go ahead."<br>"I can get lidocaine-"  
>"It's fine." Shaking her head she brushed her hair out of her face. "I don't think it can hurt much more than it does."<p>

Michelangelo watched her for a moment, noting quietly the way she averted his gaze, before nodding and starting in with the sutures. The first stitch only made her flinch a little, but after that she was fine.

"What did they hit you with?"  
>"A gun," She didn't miss a beat. "We got the call for the boy, went out… turned out to be some sort of gang fight."<br>"And the kid was in the middle of it."  
>"Caught in the crossfire, I'm sure." She inhaled sharply as he started stitching the deeper part of her cut. "The mother…the mother was the one that made the call."<br>He glanced at her. "The one in the truck."  
>"Yes."<br>"She didn't make it out in time."  
>"She got hit on the run out. I didn't even know until we were in the truck. She just…died."<p>

Clipping the suture, he paused to let her take a breath before starting the remaining few.

"Raph was still in the house. After the guy hit me, he kind of-"  
>"Went ape-shit?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"He does that. Don't think it's a bad thing. It's a compliment, really. It means he cares."<br>Ella blinked, catching the joke, before rolling her eyes. "Sure."  
>"So he took the guy out…then what?"<br>"There were more upstairs. The mother and I were running for the door, they came down. Raph told us to go."  
>"And you did."<br>"After a second." She winced as he started the last suture, struggling to hold still. "I hesitated…I shouldn't have hesitated."  
>"You were scared." He cut the thread, setting the scissors down as he picked up a piece of gauze to cover the line. "Medics don't normally have to deal with shootouts and gang fight-shit, Ella. You're human."<br>"But I should have been stronger." She was angry with herself, eyes narrowing as another onslaught of tears threatened her eyes. "If I hadn't been so scared he might have gotten out faster. He might not have been shot- _she_ might not have been shot-"  
>"<em>Ella.<em>"

She fell silent as he gently placed his hands on either side of her face, holding her still.

"…You're not a ninja. Raph _is._ We lived underground for _years_, coming out _just_ to fight groups _way _worse than those douche bags you met today. Shit like this? All in a day's work for a Hamato."

Ella looked at him for a second, blinking off a few tears before nodding stiffly and leaning into him. He pulled her close, letting his hands slide from her face to her back as he held her quietly.

Several minutes later, they got up and cleaned the recovery room; then went back to the OR waiting area to sit with the rest of the group as they waited for word on their patients.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

Three hours passed in silence as the two youngest Hamatos, James and Ella sat in the OR waiting room…waiting. No one moved; no one really looked at each other. The television that hung in the corner was the only background noise they had to drown out their own thoughts as the clock on the wall counted off the minutes since they'd walked into the tiny holding cell of a sitting area.

When the door finally _did _open, it nearly sent them all out of their skins.

Both Bryce and Leo strode in, freshly cleaned off but still looking every bit as if they'd been up working for the last 20 hours. The group stood, waiting quietly for news on their patients…but before anyone could utter a word Bryce rushed forward and took his wife in his arms, pressing his lips against hers in an awkward, thankful display of passion. The rest of the group rolled their eyes.

"The boy is stable." Leonardo stated bluntly, ignoring the couple. "He received six units of PRBC's, ten internal stitches and sixteen external. We've contacted Social Services to come and open a case on him in the morning. His mother's body is waiting in the morgue to be identified."

A moment of quiet as that information sunk in, and then Bryce pulled away from Ella, clearing his throat.

"Raphael is also stable. He suffered a minor clip of his femoral artery that required three internal stitches but nothing external. He's receiving fluids for his blood-loss at the moment, but as soon as Leonardo's donated blood has been processed we'll start transfusing." He glanced at Mikey and Don. "If you two wouldn't mind, we will probably need you to donate as well, providing you match his type."

"Oh, I'm his type alright." Mikey muttered with a smirk, earning an elbow to the ribs from Donatello.

"He's in recovery room 3, waking up from the anesthesia. You can visit him when you're ready."

"Thanks Bryce." The brothers murmured, leaving to go see their brother.

James waved to Leonardo. "'Ey Dr. H. What room's the kid in? I'm gonna go sit with him for a bit, if that's alright."  
>"That's fine, James. He's in room 6."<br>"Thanks."

The flight-medic disappeared around the corner, leaving the Lawsons to swoon over one another in the waiting room as the Hamatos went to see their brother. As they entered the recovery room, an odd sense of deja-vu came over all three of them. They all thought of years before, when Raph had gotten the shit beat out of him by the Foot, just _days _after meeting April. Of taking him to Casey's farm…

"Sure beats the hell outta puttin' him in a bathtub." Donatello muttered. The rest of the group laughed softly.

At the head of the bed, Leonardo rested a hand on his brother's head.

"You're gonna be okay, Raph. You're gonna be just fine."

**A/N: Again, sorry for the delay! I was on vacation!**

Also, I know the "walkie-talk" is extremely informal, but from personal experience I know in a lot of high-stress situations people tend to drop the whole 'over' thing.

Thank you so much for reading! Happy Memorial Day!


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